Competitiveness Report

Regional Competitiveness in 2017

Ever wonder why certain communities grow and thrive, seem to attract the best talent, and are on all the "Best" lists? Economic competitiveness. Enter the Midlands Regional Competitiveness Report, an annual benchmarking tool that scores the Columbia region against comparative regions in the Southeast to see how we stack up.

Talent

A region’s ability to provide a skilled workforce to meet the demands of industry in its economy. Metrics include GDP per worker, STEM degrees awarded, STEM salaries, percentage of knowledge workers, educational attainment and percentage of global talent.

Innovative Capacity

A region’s capacity to support creation of new knowledge and generate new ideas, products and processes. Metrics included in this index are number innovation awards, intellectual property creation, research and development, academic achievement and R&D funding.

Entrepreneurial and Business Environment

A region’s ability to commercialize innovation and to provide an environment that supports the growth of business ventures. Indicators include proprietors’ share of income, small business activity, business density and business services.

High Impact Clusters

A region’s relative size, strength and density of high impact clusters and ability to grow industries that are competitive on an international scale. Indicators in this index are high impact density, employment diversity, employment per square mile, high wage employment and high impact growth.

Livability

A region’s ability to attract and retain talent through building a dynamic live, learn, work and play environment. Metrics include employment in arts and entertainment, healthcare access, commute time, vitality, cost of living, crime and overall wellbeing.